Veal Roulade {with Herbed Eggplant & Peppers}

Some days lead one looking for a filling plate of meat.

These days do not come as a surprise. They predictably stop by on the very same days where a 15K run was had under an eighty-degree morning Roman sun. Everything fueling that grueling wake-up had been burned off, and I was ready for lunch by 10am. And I wanted a proper lunch. Salads be damned.

People always joke about the vast quantities of food slim girls are able to put away. It's been like this for as long as I can remember. You know those skinny girls in middle school who rivaled their older teenage brothers at the dinner table? I do. Something about genetics, something about lifestyle, but it gives skinny girls the go-ahead to chow down for years. Then they grow up. They learn to fit in with the other girls by joining fitness classes, or cycling groups. They also learn to keep their mouth shut in the locker room when others are griping about the insurmountability of those last few pounds. But those skinny ones who were never really that good at keeping their mouths shout received enough eye-rolls and nasty fusions of back-handed compliments combined with jealous taunting. Some of them abandon the group fitness charade. But some of them love, love, love to eat. So they run. Eventually, they love this as well.

I've been looking for the perfect summer flavours toss on some nice veal the butcher had on offer this week. This recipe hits that. Roulades are formed with minced eggplant (peeled, to increase its softness), sweet red pepper, and a veritable fireworks display of herbs. Five of them to be precise. Some dried, some fresh. Simmered on the stove in tomatoes and white wine for a mere 20 minutes thankfully does little to heat up the kitchen. Along with some fresh bread rolls, this is exactly what today's post-run appetite needed. Next time, I think I'll purée the remaining vegetable filling with the tomato sauce, for a bit more refinement, but today, a simple and hearty summer lunch.

Continue to Recipe...

Veal Roulade {with Herbed Eggplant & Peppers}

Adapted from Gourmet Jan 1990
Serves 3

Eat with Müller-Thurgau

Time 50 mins

1 onion

olive oil

1 medium eggplant

1 large red or yellow pepper

3 cloves garlic (leave whole)

1/2 tsp each: dried thyme, rosemary, and marjoram

1 Tb chopped fresh sage

1 Tb chopped fresh basil

salt/pepper

14 oz (400g) of thin long veal cutlets

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 can stewed tomatoes

sprig rosemary

parsley

fresh bread

1) Peel the eggplant, then finely chop the onion, eggplant, and pepper. In a dutch oven, or pan with high sides, gently cook the onion until soft. Add the eggplant, pepper, the 3 whole cloves of garlic, and the dried herbs. Cook on medium about 6 minutes until soft. Add the sage, basil, and salt/pepper to liking. Cook another minute.

2) Remove veg from the pan into a bowl. Lay out the strips of veal, salt/pepper, then use about half the eggplant/pepper mix to lightly cover the inner parts of the meat. Roll up and secure with a toothpick. Reserve the rest of the veg mix for serving.

3) In the same pan, heat up a bit more olive oil on med-low, and brown the roulades on all sides. When browned, add in the wine to deglaze the pan a bit. Add in the can of tomatoes, salt/pepper, and a sprig rosemary. Cover and let simmer on low for 20 mins.

4) To serve, mix the reserved veg with some of the tomatoey pan juices (optional step: purée together). Place on plates and top with slices of the veal roulades and parsley. 

Enjoy.
Jo